Key rack



July 5, 1960 R. M. THORSON 2,943,743

KEY RACK Filed July 11, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. i0) #7. 77/0/10 BY LBW/1% 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Z V .N M. a q m W a ll |l||-l\! a a 2 m Mm a fl a m u e A R. M. THoRsoN KEY RACK July 5, 1960 Filed July 11, 1956 July 5, 1960 R. M. THORSON KEY RACK 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 11, 1956 INVENTOR.

. This invention relates to a key rack or key holder. More particularly it relates to a rack for holding a large supply of keys for opening a great number'of doors in a large office building, factory, public institution or the like. The storage of keys about a large olfice building, facr' 2,943,743 Pate nt'edJuly 5, 1960 or key portion 14b. Each of the key heads '14a is formed with a hole 14c (see Figure 4), as is usual in key design: The device may also be employed to store hotel type keys attached to perforated tags. j

A-plurality of key suspension rods are provided each ofwhich is threaded at its outer end, i.e., to the left-handend as viewed in Figure 2. The inner end of each of the rods 15, that is, the right-hand end as viewed in Figure 2 is threaded into or is otherwise aflixedto' the vertical wall 12 of the frame 11, and a nut 16 is provided to securely clamp each of the rods 15. in place;

tory, publieinstitution or the like presents a problem It because of the need for an adequate supply of keys for each of many different doors and locks.

. It is desirable that a key storage means maintain a supply of keys in such manner that the keys are readily accessible; that it is easy to find, to detach and to'restore any key; and that the storage means he compact in nature.

Heretofore, to my knowledge, no such means has been provided which fulfills all of these requirements. Thus, key racks or key cabinets have been available which have limited capacity, or which have a large capacity but are i ther characterized by easy access to the stored keys.

; These and other objects of the invention willbe apparent from the ensuing description and the appended claims.

One form of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure l is a'view in front elevation of the key rack of the present invention. 1 a I; Figure 2 is a view in side elevation as seen along the line 2-2' of Figure 1.

v Figure 3, is a view inside elevation of th ejkey selector of the invention a v Figure 4.is anenlarged sectional view taken along the li'ne.4'4 of Figure 5. a 5.; Figure 5 is .a view showing the manner in which -the key selector of the invention isemployed to select a key;

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2,- the key rack of theinvention is generally designated by the reference numeral. 10; It cornprises a sturdy, solid frame 11 comprising an upright wall portion 12 and a horizontal base portion 13. As

illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the frame ll'isrnade of rather heavy gauge metal. It may, however, be made of sheet metal, wood, plastic or any other suitable material and it need not have the particular shape illustrated. Also, the device may beenclosed in a cabinet if desired, or it may be installed on a wall. In the particular instance shown it is a portable device,-as explained in detail hereinafter. r a d The device is intended to store keys such as shown at 14, such keys being of a conventional type and each comprising a handle or head or base portion 14a and a stem From an inspection of Figure 1 it will be apparent that the rods 15 arepreferably staggered. "A staggered arrangement facilitates inspection and access. A different arrangement and a different number of rods mayfof 1 course, be employed depending upon requirements and personal preferences.

A wing nut .17 is threaded to the outer end of each of the rods 15, such Wing nut serving as a detachable keeper member to hold keys on the rods against accidental displacement.

Separator and identification tags 18 are also provided each of which is formed with a perforation (not shown) so that it will fit easily and slidably over any of the suspension rods 15. The tags 18 are perforated near but below their tops so that the center of gravity of each tag is below the rod 15 but a tab portion 182 projects above the rod and above the keys 14. A number or other designation is applied to the upper tab end 18a of each of the tags 18, such as the numerals 101, 201, etc. shown in Figure 1. It is the purpose of the tags 18 to separate the keys on any given rod 15 into groups, each of which corresponds to some particular room or lock which is indicated by the designation or insignia. It will, therefore, be apparent that the key to any particular room or lock can be very easily and speedily located by inspecting the insignia on the tab portions of the tags 18. As mentioned above the, particular form of key rack illustrated in the drawings is intended to be portable. To this end a carrier member 20 is provided comprising a cross member or handle 25 to which are fixed vertical rods 26 which are slidable in tubes 27 each of which is threaded to the base member 13 of the frame and is secured in position by means of a nut 28. Each of the vertical rods 26 is provided-with a laterally projecting pin 29 which slides in a slot 30 formed in the respective tube 27. From an inspection of Figure 2 it will be apparentthat the handle 25 is normally in the retracted position shown in Figure 1' and in solid lines in Figure 2'. When it is desired to transport the key rack from one location to. another, the handle 25 is grasped and lifted byyhand. It will rise to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, thus providing clearance for a persons hand. By this means the device can be readily transported from one location to another. When thedevice is depositedandthe, handle 25 is released, the rods 26 will drop by gravity into thetubes .27, hence'the handle will not project and will not constitute abulky projection.- The pin and slot engagement provided at 29, 30 is usefu because it limits the travel of the handle 25. The device as thus far described provides a very compact, useful, practical key rack, and it can be used. as such without any other equipment. Thus, the device as thus far described is capable of storing a large number of keys. The spacer and identification tags maintain the keys in proper groups. The staggered arrangement of the rods 15 facilitates access to the keys and it also facilitates observing the keys and tags and identifying the location of the key or'keys desired. The retractable handle is also a convenient feature.

l I have provided, however, a further feature which greatly facilitates the selection, removal and replacement of keys. This feature, which will now be described, adds greatly to the utility of my device. 7

Referring to Figure 2, if it is desired to select a key which is located between, say, the sixth and seventh tags 18 on a particular rod i .e.,:sixth-and seventh counting from leftto right as .viewed in Figure 2), it will firfstlge necessary to remove all of the keys in front of the first six tags "and it will their be necessary to restore thekeys so removed. Not only will it be necessary torestore the keys removed, but they must be restored in thep'roper order with the tags 18 located properly.

: To facilitate these operations a selector member is provided which comprises a tubular spindle 32 fixed to a flat, relatively heavy base 33. The outer end 32a of the spindle is preferably cut at an angle of about 45 9 and the metal is preferably'tapered to give the tip a knife edge. As will be seen from an inspection of Figure 4, the spindle 32 is tubular and has an inside diameter df which is greater than the outside diameter of the key suspension rods 15 However, the outside diameter of the spindle 32 is less than the holes 140 in the heads 14a off-the keys. The purpose of the flat, heavy .base 33 is' to provide a handle for manipulating the selector memher-.31 and also to'provide a sturdy support for holding the selector member in upright position for ready access and to prevent it from being carried off inadvertently or lost.

Referring now to Figure 5, the manner in which the selector member 31 is used is apparent. Assuming that his desired to select a key from the group of keys susp nded from a particular rod 15 and seated between the sixth and seventh tags 18, counting from left to right. The base-portion 33 of'the selector member 31 is grasped by :hand, the wing nut 17 on the proper key suspension rod 15 is removed and the open outer end of the tubular spindle 32 is inserted over the end of the rod 15. Since the-outside diameter of the spindle 32 is less than the holes 14c in the keys and the holes in the tags 18, it will be apparent that the tubular spindle 32 can be pushed inwardly to any position desired. The angle at the end 32a greatly facilitates threading the spindle through the holes 140 in the keys and through the holes in the tags 18; This is advantageous because these holes are seldom' aligned'closely. By twisting the base 33, the spindleis easily inserted to any position desired.

In the specific instance given the spindle is pushed into the position shown in Figure so that the sixth'tag and one of the desired keys are impaled on the spindle. It will be apparent that all of the keys and tags to the left of the sixth tag, and the latter tag itself and the desired key will be safely impaled on the spindle 32. The key orkeys desired are now readily accessible and can be removed. "At this point another advantageous feature of the selector 31 should be noted. It may be desired to set the selector down for a brief time. The base 33 will hold the spindle 32 upright. The selector will, therefore, serve as a temporary key holder. Then the impaled keys and tags are restored to their proper position by means of the selector member 31 The latter is then'withdrawn, leaving all of the keys and tags on the suspension rod 15 in their proper positions. The wing nut 17 is then restored to secure the keys and tags in place against acci dental displacement as, for example, during carrying the also as identification tabs to facilitate selection of keys.

The wing nuts secure the keys and tags on the suspension rods. The selector element is extremely advantageous because it permits very rapid selection, removal and replacement of keys without disturbing the relative positions of other keys and tags. A quick glance down any row of keys will immediately reveal the number of keys available for any lock or door, hence will inform a person which keys require replenishment. The apparatus is as well suited for hotel type keys with tags attached as to o her ypes f key I claim:

1. Apparatus of the character described comprising a frame and'aclosely'packedarray of key suspension rods each having a base end supportedjby said frame and a free end which is unsupported, said rods being arranged in substantial parallelism to one another and being closely packed to provide a large number of rods in a small space, a substantial proportion of said rods being located in interipr positions within the array such that they are less accessible thanthe exteriorrods, each rod having a length great enough to enable it to suspend a large number of keys and having a substantially uniform diameter throughout substantially its entire length such that a tubular member of inside diameter slightly greater than the outside diameter 'of said rods can telescope with any of said rods and thereby reach substantially to the base end 'of the rod; said apparatus also comprising a substantial number of keys suspended from each rod, each key having a head portion formed with a suspension hole-of greater diameter than said rods, said keys being suspended from said rods by means of said suspension holes; said apparatus also comprising a selector member in the form of a tube, which'is open at one end, said tube having an inside diameter greater than the diameter of said rods and'having an outside diameter less than the diameter of'the' suspension holes of the suspended keys.

2. Apparatus of the character described comprising a frame and a"closely packed array of key'suspension rods each having a base end supported by said frame and a free end 'which is unsupported, said rods being arranged in substantial parallelism to one another and being closely packed to provide a large number of rods in a small space, asubstantial proportion of said rods being located in interior'positions'within' the array such that they are les s accessible than the exterior rods, each rod having a'length great enoughto enable it to suspend a large number of keys and having a substantially uniform diameter through out substantially its entire length such that a tubular member of'inside diameter slightly greater than the outside diameter of said rods can telescope with any of said rods and thereby reach substantially'to the base end of the rod; said apparatus also comprising a substantial number of keys suspended from each rod, each key having a he'ad po'rtion' formed with a suspension hole of greater diameter than said rods, said keys being suspended from saidrods bymeans ofsaidsuspension holes; said apparatus also comprising a selector member in the form of device 10 or if the latteris tilted or tipped overaccide'ntally. To restore a key or keys, the same operations are carried out except that a key or keys will be suspended on rather than removed from a rod 15 i It will, therefore, be apparent that a key container or key rack is provided which fulfills the objects stated above. It is compact yet it has a very large capacity. It supports keys in positions such that they are readily ac cessible. The spacer means or tags group and separate the keys in lots or bunches, each lot or bunch corre sponding to a particular lock or door. The tags Serve rtube, Whichis open'at one end,said tube having an inside diameter greater than the diameter of said rods arid having an outside diameter less than the diameter of thesiisperision holes of thes'usp'ended keys, the open @511. of said selector'tube being cut on a diagonal to the axis fthetube k' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

